Construction condition records before work begins

Explain why the condition record is being prepared and who will use it. A record before site access may have a different scope from a specialist investigation or a formal property report. Agree the areas to be visited, the relevant date and any access restrictions. If the assignment requires specialist qualifications or a prescribed method, engage the appropriate professional.

Make the scope clear to everyone involved: an interior room, an adjoining surface, a delivery route or another defined area. Do not use a broad title that suggests a full building survey when the visit covers only a small section. The title should match the work actually done.

Use place names that a later visitor can follow. Building, floor, room and a specific surface or element make a practical reference. Keep the names consistent with the project's drawings or agreed location plan. If no useful plan exists, agree a simple naming convention and explain it in the record.

"Crack by the door" is ambiguous when the room has several doors; a reference to the room and the specific wall is not. Decide how observations are numbered, and use the same reference in the description, the photos and the follow-up, so the next visit can find the same point without relying on anyone's memory.

Write what you can see in plain language. Identify the surface or element and the visible feature and, where the assignment calls for it, record the extent or a measurement with its unit. Keep an observation apart from an explanation of its cause. If you cannot assess the cause, do not imply that the photo establishes it.

A visible mark and a dated photo document what was seen during the visit. They do not necessarily show when the mark first appeared or who caused it. If a technical interpretation is needed, take the question to a competent specialist and keep their assessment separate from the original observation.

Start with an overview that places the observation in the area, then add a closer view when the detail matters. Link both photos to the observation reference with a short caption. A close-up without context leaves the next reviewer searching for the location. A clear link between text and photos is worth more than a large, unsorted photo collection.

On a later visit, try to use a comparable viewpoint and note any difference in access or light that affects the comparison. If the assignment calls for a scale, use a suitable method and describe it. This guide does not prescribe a measurement procedure for structural movement or other specialist investigations. See also our guide to photo documentation on site.

State which areas were inaccessible and why: a covered surface, a locked room or a poor view all limit what can be observed. Record the time and scope of the visit rather than implying continuous monitoring. An empty entry leaves the reader unsure whether the area was checked and found clear, or never inspected at all.

If part of the agreed scope could not be covered, name the remaining action and the person responsible for arranging access. Do not mark the whole assignment complete just because the report is ready. A report can be issued with explicit limitations if that fits the agreed process, but its status should not hide incomplete coverage.

Preserve the original dated record when another visit takes place. Add the new observation using the same location reference where possible, and state the new visit's purpose, date and scope. A comparison should show what the two records show and any differences that make the comparison uncertain. Never overwrite the baseline with the latest photo.

A change between two visits may need investigating, but a difference between two pictures is not a full assessment of the cause. If responsibility or remedial work is disputed, get the appropriate technical or legal advice. A factual record supports that discussion without settling every question.

Agree who receives the report and where the records are stored. Photos may show people, personal belongings or information that has nothing to do with the assignment. Frame images around the relevant observation and follow the project's privacy and access procedures. Do not share a whole photo archive when the recipient only needs the issued report.

Before issuing, check that every attachment belongs to the right project and location. If the record must be corrected after issue, keep a clear account of the change, so the recipient knows which version is current and which earlier issue it replaces.

Check the report against the agreed list of areas soon after the visit. Could someone understand the descriptions without the person who recorded them standing beside them? Look for unclear place names, photos without context and missing limitations, and ask for clarification while the observer still remembers the visit.

Ask the intended recipient whether the report serves its purpose. A delivery route record may need clearer location photos, while a specialist assessment could need different information entirely. Use the feedback to improve the structure, but do not widen the title or the claimed scope to make a limited visit look more complete.

A condition record usually covers:

• The project and the purpose of the record
• Visit details: date, time, observer and scope
• The areas covered, using the agreed location references
• Individual observations, each with an overview and a detail photo
• Limitations and areas not inspected
• Follow-up actions and who is responsible

Try the structure on one area first, so the team can see whether the location names and captions work before repeating it across the site.

In Lite Report, the project manager creates the report on the web with a title and a description that state the purpose, the date and the areas covered: for example "Condition record before work, ground floor". Each area or room in the agreed location system can be a task, either a structured checklist with room, scope and time or a custom control point. On site, the observer documents each one from their phone with photos taken in the app, comments and markups, and PDF drawings can be marked up to show exactly where an observation is.

Every photo is stamped with the date, time, GPS position and place name, which is exactly what a baseline needs. The registrations are compiled into one PDF report, and reports cannot be deleted, so the issued record stays available for later comparison.

Lite Report is a reporting tool. It is not an official property condition scheme or an automatic technical diagnosis, and the observer's competence and any specialist review remain separate from the software.